Container and holder for fusee or flare



Feb. 2, 1960 BLEWER 2,923,240

CONTAINER AND HOLDER FOR FUSEE 0R FLARE Filed Dec. 24, 1958 FIG. 1.

IN V EN TOR.

5010420 ll. 5L Elf/EB,

United States atetitf 2,923,240 CONTAINER AND HOLDER FOR FUSEE R FLARE Edward H. Blewer, Yonkers, NY. Application December 24, 1958, Serial No. 782,710 3 Claims. (Cl. 102-3152 This invention relates to containers and supports for flares or fusees, and more particularly to an improved container-adapted to house a fusee or fiare so that it may be easily transported, the container being provided with means for utilizing same as a handle or support for holding the fusee or flare in an upright position while it is ignited.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved container and support for a fusee or flare, the container or support being simple in construction,

.being compact in size, and being adapted to safely house a fusee or flare until it is required for use, after which it may be employed as a support or holder for the fusee or flare, enabling same to be efiiciently ignited and burned. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved container and holder for a fusee or flare, the container and holder being inexpensive to manufacture, being durable in construction, being safe to use, and enabling a fusee or dare contained therein to be readily mounted for ignition whenever required.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view showing an improved container and holder according to the present invention utilized to support a fusee in an exposed upright position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the device of Figure 1 employed as a container for the fusee.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved fusee or fiare container and holder, according to the present invention. The device 11 comprises a generally tubular elongated hollow body 12 which is shouldered at a portion thereof, as shown at 13 so as to define a reduced end portion 14 of sufiicient length to receive the reduced shank portion 15 of a conventional fusee 16 in the manner illustrated in Figure 3. The enlarged top portion of the fusee 16 is thus receivable in the main body portion 12, as shown in dotted view in Figure 3.

The main body portion 12 is provided at its end with a removable plug member 17, and is further provided with a conventional pocket clip 18, whereby the container may be secured to the hem of a garment pocket in the manner of a fountain pen. Opposite the spring clip 18 a rigid pin member 19 is pivotally secured to the body 12, as by a pivot pin 20, said pivot pin being located adjacent the top rim of the tubular body 12. The pin member 19 is formed with a depending resilient friction element 21 which engages the surface of body 12 with substantial frictional force, whereby the pin member 19 will be held in any adjusted position, for example, in a position extending axially outwardly from the body 12, whereby the element 19 may be employed as a supporting stake engageable in the ground to support the body 12 in an upstanding position. The body 12 is formed with a locking recess 22 adapted to receive the end of the friction finger element 21, whereby to yieldably secure the pin Fatented Feb. 2, 1960 member 19 in the aforesaid outwardly extending axially directed position. -A similar recess may be provided in the body 12 on the opposite side of the pivot pin 20, namely, adjacent the rim 24 of body 12, whereby the end of the resilient finger 21 may be lockingly received, yieldably holding the pin member 19 in' a position extending inwardly, namely, a position opposite to that shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 illustrates the inwardly extending position of the pin member 19. In this position the pin member 19 is held closely adjacent to the surface of body 12 and is thus maintained in an unobstructing position.

The reduced portion 14 is formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending open ended slots 26 of substantial length defining resilient fingers '27 therebetween. Formed on the fingers'27 are the respective wedge elements 28 which increase in thickness toward the open end of the reduced portion 14. Slidably engaged on the reduced portion 14 adjacent the shoulder 13 is a clamping ring 29 which may be attimes moved in an axial direction to wedgingly engage with the elongated wedge element 28, whereby to exert inward radial force on the fingers 27.

When the fusee is to be ignited, the end of the reduced portion 15 thereof is engaged in the slotted end of the holder, being thus inserted between the resilient fingers 27, after which the clamping ring 29 may be moved outwardly along the reduced tubular portion 14 to wedgingly engage with the elongated Wedge element 28 and to develop clamping force on the fingers 27, urging said fingers clampingly against the shank 15 of the fusee. Thus, when the fusee is to be ignited, the plug 17 is removed and the fusee is taken out of the container. The shank portion 15 of the fusee is then engaged in the slotted end of the reduced portion of the container and the ring 29 is moved into clamping position, as shown in Figure 1. The pin member 19 may then be extended to its outwardly projecting position, as shown in Figure 1, whereby the device may be supported in the ground in an upright position, the fusee then being ready for ignition.

Alternatively, the main body portion 12 of the container may be employed as a handle, whereby the fusee may be manually supported while ignited.

While a specific embodiment of an improved fusee container and holder has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fusee holder comprising an elongated hollow body adapted to receive a fusee therein and to serve as a storage container therefor, said body having an enlarged portion adapted to receive the enlarged top portion of a fusee therein and a reduced end portion adapted to receive the remainder of the fusee, said reduced portion defining an annular shoulder adjacent thereto and being formed with longitudinal slots opening at the free end of the reduced portion to define resilient clamping fingers to at times receive the fusee therein, external longitudinal Wedge elements on said clamping fingers and increasing in thickness toward said free end of the reduced portion, and a clamping ring slidably engaged on said reduced end portion between said shoulder and said wedge elements and being movable longitudinally into wedging engagement with said wedge elements to exert inward radial force on said resilient clamping fingers.

2. A fusee holder comprising an elongated hollow receptacle having a main portion and a reduced portion defining an annular shoulder therebetween, said hollow receptacle being adapted to house a fusee of the type having an enlarged top portion, with said top portion received in said main portion and the remainder of the fusee received in said reduced portion, said reduced end portion being formed with longitudinal slots to define a plurality of resilient clamping fingers to attimes receive said remainder of the f-usee therein, external longitudinal wedge elements-on the outer surfaces of the respective clamping fingers, and aflat clamping ring-onsaid receptacle between said. annular shoulder and wedge-elements, said ring being wedginglyengageable on saidwedge ele ments to exert inward" radial force on said Clamping fingers.

3. A fusee holder comprising an elongated hollow re.- ceptacle having a main portion and a reduced portion defining an annular 'shoulder therebetween, said hollow receptacle being adapted to house a fusee of the type having an enlarged top portion, with said top portion received in said main portion and the remainder of the fusee received' in said reduced portion, said reduced end portion being formed with longitudinal slots'to define a plurality ofresilient clamping fingers to at times receive said remainder of the fusee therein, external longitudinal wedge elements on the outer surfaces of the respective clampingfingers, a fiat clamping ring-on said receptacle between said annular shoulder and said wedge elements, said ring being wedgingly engageable on said wedge element to exert inward radial force on said clamping fingers, a supporting pin element pivoted to the outside of said main portion, and a finger element on-said supporting pin element, said main portion being formed with a recess locatedto lockingly receive said finger element when said supporting pin element is rotated to, an axially extending, outwardly directed position, whereby said supporting pin element may be engaged inthe ground tosupport-thereceptacle in an erect position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

